IrishCanadian25
Going on 10 years with WrestleZone
I'll start this thread off with this one simple fact: IC25 was right, NorCal was wrong.
Last night, while watching the MITB Pay Per View, a "gull-darn donnybrook" broke out at D-Man's house regarding the proper use of a cage match to blow off a feud.
Cage matches have been contested under a variety of rules since their inception in (I believe) the late 70's or early '80's. In the NWA and AWA, a cage match was fought to a pinfall or submission. In the old WWF, a cage match was won by escaping either through the door or over the top, and no referee on the inside was needed. The purpose of a cage was to keep people out of the cage - managers, tag team partners, etc.
The match has evolved today to being potentially won either by pin, submission, or escape. Often times the door is now locked and the only escape is to climb it.
Point- a steel cage match should only be won via escape. If you want a match to end via pinfall or submission, it's a normal match. The whole "escape from the cage" clause makes a cage match more unique and creates drama. Furthermore, it advances the face / heel dynamic with the heel trying to take the "easy" route through the door (with his manager helping) while the face tries to take the heroic and more difficult climb the cage route.
Counterpoint - a steel cage match is often the blow-off match to a feud, and the final moment of a feud should only be acheived with pin or submission - a show of dominance over the other. Furthermore, if the idea of a cage match is to keep people out and keep the contestants in, why is the point to run away and escape your opponent? The only real way to finish off a rivalry is with a clean pin or submission victory.
Notice how I have not told you who (NorCal or I) was on which side. We'll reveal that soon enough after we see how people fall on this issue.
So the question is - should the rules of winning of a cage match be to pin / submit your opponent? Or to escape the cage?
Last night, while watching the MITB Pay Per View, a "gull-darn donnybrook" broke out at D-Man's house regarding the proper use of a cage match to blow off a feud.
Cage matches have been contested under a variety of rules since their inception in (I believe) the late 70's or early '80's. In the NWA and AWA, a cage match was fought to a pinfall or submission. In the old WWF, a cage match was won by escaping either through the door or over the top, and no referee on the inside was needed. The purpose of a cage was to keep people out of the cage - managers, tag team partners, etc.
The match has evolved today to being potentially won either by pin, submission, or escape. Often times the door is now locked and the only escape is to climb it.
Point- a steel cage match should only be won via escape. If you want a match to end via pinfall or submission, it's a normal match. The whole "escape from the cage" clause makes a cage match more unique and creates drama. Furthermore, it advances the face / heel dynamic with the heel trying to take the "easy" route through the door (with his manager helping) while the face tries to take the heroic and more difficult climb the cage route.
Counterpoint - a steel cage match is often the blow-off match to a feud, and the final moment of a feud should only be acheived with pin or submission - a show of dominance over the other. Furthermore, if the idea of a cage match is to keep people out and keep the contestants in, why is the point to run away and escape your opponent? The only real way to finish off a rivalry is with a clean pin or submission victory.
Notice how I have not told you who (NorCal or I) was on which side. We'll reveal that soon enough after we see how people fall on this issue.
So the question is - should the rules of winning of a cage match be to pin / submit your opponent? Or to escape the cage?